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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23553250">Cheating Death</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/ByTheAngell'>ByTheAngell (SomeLittleInfamy)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shadowhunters (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Feels, Gen, Ragnor Fell Lives, Reincarnation, but happy feels</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:34:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,411</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23553250</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/ByTheAngell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Magnus is used to visions of Ragnor showing up when he needs him the most, and also when he doesn’t need him. Except this one isn’t as easily dismissed as the others. This one might be more than his usual projection...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Magnus Bane &amp; Ragnor Fell, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>143</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>SHBingo</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cheating Death</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For my Shadowhunters Bingo square: Reincarnation</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Magnus doesn’t have time to mourn properly, which means what he does is lose sleep to visit the makeshift grave he made for Ragnor, just to sit and talk. He wants to tell his friend everything, about crashing Alec’s wedding, about their first kiss, their first date, the way he knows he shouldn’t expect too much from something so new but how every time he looks into Alexander’s eyes he can see the promise of so much more than he dares to hope for. He wants Ragnor to laugh at him for falling for another mortal, for a <em>Nephilim</em> despite all his previous swearing off of them as a group. He wants Ragnor to scold him for moving too quickly. </p><p>He wants, and he wants, and he knows that unlike the other things he wants in this life these are things he will never have again. </p><p>He hears Ragnor, occasionally, and even sees him, though he doesn’t tell anyone of those times. He isn’t sure if they’re his mind playing tricks on him, hallucinations from his current lack of sleep and overworking, or if perhaps they’re dreams that feel so real he imagines himself awake for them. Either way, he knows they aren’t real. </p><p>Which is why he almost looks right past the man standing in front of him in the hallway outside of his loft when he answers the door. </p><p>“Not now,” Magnus dismisses the apparition he’s grown used to seeing by now. “We can berate me for nearly living out the rest of my days in Edom later.” </p><p>Ragnor doesn’t move. It hardly matters - Magnus tried to touch him once or twice before, wishing for nothing more than to hug his oldest friend again, only to find his arms pass right through him. So Magnus goes to leave, to walk right through Ragnor, and hits a very solid person instead. </p><p>Immediately Magnus raises his hands in front of him, red magic licking at his fingertips as his cat eyes flash and narrow. </p><p>“Who are you?” Magnus demands. It has to be a trick - a shape-shifting demon, or some warlock in a glamour. </p><p>“I haven’t been gone for that long,” Ragnor says. “I can’t believe you get one Nephilim fiancé and you forget about me entirely.” </p><p>“You aren’t Ragnor. You <em>can’t</em> be Ragnor,” Magnus says, his own voice wavering. He wants to believe it to be true so badly… </p><p>“I can’t imagine many people are clamoring to be me,” Ragnor points out. “Just stop and think about it. Didn’t even ping your wards, did I? Could a shape-shifter confuse <em>your</em> warding?” </p><p>“No…” Magnus admits slowly. “But…” </p><p>“Please don’t make me recount our time in Peru to convince you,” Ragnor pleads. </p><p>“As if I haven't told that story to anyone who’ll listen,” Magnus counters. </p><p>“Then what about the day you turned up weeping on my doorstep after Etta left you.” </p><p>Magnus sucks in a breath. “I never told anyone about that. How could you-” </p><p>“Magnus, it’s <em>me</em>.” Ragnor repeats, and this time Magnus starts to believe him. This time Magnus drops the bag he’s holding and wraps his arms around his old friend, still half-expecting them to go through him. But they don’t, and Ragnor lifts his own to embrace him back. </p><p>“<em>How?</em>” Magnus asks again. </p><p>“I’m not sure,” Ragnor admits. “But I have a theory. That is, if I’m allowed in to discuss it, possibly over some tea, and not murdered for a second time where I stand.” </p><p>Magnus has a million things he needs to do right now but he sends a text to Alec stating that he’s running late, and that he’ll explain when he gets a chance, and that he’ll <em>definitely</em> make it up to him later for leaving him alone with Izzy for the foreseeable future’s worth of wedding planning. </p><p>His phone rings a second later. </p><p>“Is everything okay?” comes Alec’s worried voice from the other end of the line.</p><p>“Yes. I think. I really can’t explain yet, but I promise I wouldn’t be late if it wasn’t important. I’ll be there soon. Very soon. I love you and I trust your judgment implicitly,” Magnus says, ignoring the eye-roll he received from Ragnor and the exaggeration gagging motions he’s making from the hallway before pushing past while Magnus is on the phone, taking this opportunity to finally make his way inside without waiting for expressed permission. </p><p>And yes, the longer this goes on the less doubt Magnus has that it is, in fact, Ragnor.</p><p>“But you’re sure you’re alright. You aren’t like… in trouble and you can’t say it out loud or anything crazy like that? Say pineapple if you’re in trouble,” Alec says. </p><p>“I’m not in trouble and why would that, of <em>all words</em>, be the word to choose if I was?” Magnus demands. “Really. I’m fine. And I’ll be there soon,” he says, eyeing Ragnor who is already pouring himself a drink before hanging up. </p><p>“Hope you don’t mind, but I decided we needed something stronger than tea,” Ragnor says, not waiting for a reply. “A few drinks are the least you owe me for getting me killed.” </p><p>Magnus frowns deeply, clearing his throat. “Yes, well, hardly counts if you’re actually alive, does it?”</p><p>“Oh, I died. I was very, very much dead, until recently. Do you remember when we were young,” Ragnor begins slowly, taking a long sip of his drink before placing it down on the table. “And we came across that reincarnation spell in the theoretically-forbidden texts we stole from that grouchy old warlock in Argentina?” </p><p>“Barely,” Magnus admits. “I remember it took us weeks to get the ingredients, and I’m positive we butchered the pronunciation of half the words, and then forgot about it entirely after it didn’t do anything.” </p><p>Ragnor meets his eyes across the table at that. “I believe, my dear friend, that’s where we were mistaken. It did <em>something</em>, because that spot in the forest is where I came back.” </p><p>Magnus takes a few precious seconds to process that information - not just for what it means to Ragnor standing in front of him, alive and well, but the implications of what it might mean for himself in the future as well. </p><p>“And you’re… fine? Your powers, your memories?” Magnus questions. It seems too good to be true, and in his experience things that seemed too good to be true almost always were. </p><p>“It all seems intact enough. I was rather hoping Catarina could give me a thorough examination until I realized everyone was too busy planning for the wedding of the century at the New York Institute, of all places,” Ragnor says pointedly. </p><p>It seems to hit Magnus all at once then that this is real, that it’s actually happening, and the tears that begin to fall from his eyes are entirely involuntary. </p><p>Ragnor moves from his side of the table to stand next to Magnus, hovering awkwardly for a moment as if unsure if being closer would make it better or worse until Magnus turned to wrap his arms around Ragnor once more. </p><p>“I’m glad you followed my advice,” Ragnor says, patting Magnus on the back. “There’s nothing else I’d rather come back to see. You deserve this happiness.”</p><p>“Not a day went by that I didn’t wish you were here to see-” Magnus starts, taking a step back and sniffling, wiping his eyes dry again. “I’m so glad you’re here for this. I couldn’t have asked for a better gift.” </p><p>“Good, because I didn’t have time to buy anything,” Ragnor points out, smirking a bit as he does, and Magnus chokes out a laugh that eases all of the remaining tension between them.</p><p>Looking down at the wet stains on his less-than-ideal outfit, Ragnor sighs. “I should go change, however, if I’m to attend a wedding. You should go and tend to your Nephilim before he thinks you got cold feet. I’ll see you again soon.” </p><p>Magnus looks hesitant, biting down on his lower lip. He doesn’t want to let Ragnor out of his sight for a second, afraid that if he leaves he isn’t going to come back this time. Ragnor seems to read his mind, as he always had. As he always will. </p><p>“I’ll be there,” Ragnor promises. “We can figure the rest out after. I’m not going to leave you again.” Ragnor pauses, considering. “Possibly ever. You may come to regret this.” </p><p>Magnus smiles, shaking his head. “Never, my dear cabbage. Never.”  </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Find me on  <a href="http://bytheangell.tumblr.com">Tumblr</a> and also on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/By_The_Angell">Twitter</a>! &lt;3 )</p></blockquote></div></div>
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